Kenyan minister is welcomed by church

Reverend Kipchumba Too – pronounced “toe” – was officially ordained as minister at Denny’s Westpark Church last week with session clerk Campbell Young and Moderator of Falkirk Presbytery Doctor Stuart McDonald by his side.

Married to Irene with two sons Ezer (13) and Edan (7), Kipchumba (40) is looking forward to his new role.

He said: “I am excited by the opportunity to join the people at Denny Westpark Parish and Falkirk Presbytery in serving God and humanity through a Christ-centred, Bible based, mission oriented and compassionate ministry.”

Born in Nandi County, in the Rift Valley region of the Republic of Kenya, Kipchumba is the youngest of a family of seven children.

He graduated with a Masters in Systematic Theology from Limru’s St Paul’s University and as a Master of Science and Religion from the University of Edinburgh.

A full-time pastor serving with Africa Inland Church in Kenya since 2001, he gained his licence as a minister of word and sacrament in 2006.

In 2009 he took up the challenge of leading a team in establishing a church in the AIC Upendo Fellowship, which is in a deprived area of Nairobi where criminal gangs are known to operate. He served there until 2013 when he moved back to his home village in preparation to move abroad for studies.

Kipchumba was also engaged in training of church ministers from 2006 to 2014 as a part-time lecturer at African Leaders Training Institute.

Since he arrived in Scotland in September 2014, Kipchumba has been involved with the Church of Scotland in various aspects of ministry, including volunteering to help during summer kids clubs and serving as a consultant researcher at Greenside Parish Church, Edinburgh on a research project.

Before taking up his post at Westpark Church he was an assistant minister at Dyce Parish Church in Aberdeen.